WOMEN’S GOLF
iPHONE ≠ LIFE
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P.5
CORALINE MOVIE REVIEW
Spartan Daily theSpartanDaily.com
Serving San Jose State University Since 1934
THE WIRE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009 Volume 132, Issue 10
53
THU
Electives that have class: music, cosmetics and yoga
Boy accidentally fires gun at school; no injuries EL MONTE — A third-grader has been detained for bringing a gun to school and accidentally firing it into the ground. El Monte police Sgt. Alex Martinez said the 9-year-old boy got the 22-caliber automatic pistol from a relative and hid it in his backpack Tuesday at Baker Elementary School. As school was letting out at 2 p.m., the 9-year-old tried to remove the weapon from his bag and accidentally fired a shot into the asphalt of a basketball court. No one was injured.
Iran ready to talk to U.S., Iranian president says TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s hard-line president says his country is ready for talks with the United States — but only if there’s mutual respect between the longtime adversaries. The announcement, which comes as Iran celebrates 30 years since it ousted the U.S.-backed shah, is the strongest signal yet that Tehran welcomes President Barack Obama’s calls for dialogue. Israeli election too close to call JERUSALEM — Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and hardline rival Benjamin Netanyahu both claimed victory in Israel’s parliamentary election Tuesday, which early returns suggested was too close to call. With 67 percent of the votes counted, Livni’s centrist Kadima Party had 29 seats in the 120-seat parliament while Netanyahu’s hawkish Likud Party was right behind with 28, Israel’s Channel 1 television said. — Associated Press
SUN
TECHNOLOGY
Textbooks go digital: Appeal of e-books increasing Staff Writer
Students apply makeup during Cassandra Carpenter’s Makeup for Stage and Video class last Tuesday.
MIKE ANDERSON / Spartan Daily
ing World, as an elective. Aranda said taking the class prepared her for other classes required in her major. Aranda also said she enjoyed Theatre Arts 005, Beginning Acting, because it improved her public speaking skills. She also said this course had her try things that were out of her comfort zone. Russel Gapasin, an undeclared sophomore, said he also enjoyed acting because it helped his social skills. “It’s pretty fun,” Gapasin said. “You get to act out lines with partners. You get to know your class pretty good.” Aranda had a suggestion for students who are still considering which electives to take.
“Try things that you think you would never be good at,” she said. “You never know — you might end up liking it.” Students who like to experiment with makeup but are too hesitant to take a cosmetology course may look into Radio, Television, Film 064, Makeup for Stage and Video. Carmen Wong, a sophomore nutrition dietetics major, said she took the course as an elective because she enjoys doing makeup. Wong said the first step involved applying makeup on face charts, which are faces on blank sheets of paper. She would
Textbooks, with their weight and ability to empty wallets, may have another thing coming. The number of e-books — downloadable versions of textbooks that are available online — that Spartan Bookstore offers has risen from 96 to 224 within the past year, said Christopher Stroth, a textbook specialist for Spartan Shops. E-books are electronic versions of textbooks that give students a more interactive feel in comparison with regular hard copies, Stroth said. “With e-books you can copy, paste, share notes, search text and interact with it on more levels than a regular textbook,” he said. Although not all hard copy textbooks at the bookstore have an electronic version, more publishing companies are looking into it, Stroth said “There’s a move to increase the number of e-books as they become available,” he said. One of the perks to having access to the electronic versions is that they are typically cheaper, Stroth said. Some e-books have a limited
See CLASSES, page 3
See E-BOOK, page 2
Tejada charged with lying in steroid case
WORLD
SAT
STEPHANIE VALLEJO
NATIONAL
WASHINGTON — All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying to Congress about an ex-teammate’s use of steroids, the latest baseball player to get caught up in a web of cheating and juicing that has stained the sport. Tejada is expected to plead guilty in court Wednesday. The charges against him were outlined in documents filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington.
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FEATURE
LOCAL
P.6
Options offered allow for fun, new experiences JESSICA AYALA Staff Writer
Adding an elective course can be a burden for some. Several SJSU students share which elective courses they feel are worth it, proving that they’re not just a waste of time. Ana Aranda, a junior occupational therapy major, said she has taken elective courses that have improved her social skills and prepared her for other courses. For instance, Aranda chose Biology 010, The Liv-
CONSTRUCTION
Roofing and renovations begin at Spartan Complex Work on gym is first part of many upgrades to building from the 1920s JUSTIN PERRY Staff Writer
Morning salsa dance students in Spartan Complex were accompanied by the harsh syncopation of roofers’ hammers as renovations on the nearly 85-year-old building continued this week. Contractors have been repairing and waterproofing sections of roof on Spartan Complex and Uchida Hall for about five weeks. John Skyberg, project manager and director of Facilities
Maintenance and Construction Services, said the roof has had problems for a couple of years, and waterproofing is necessary to protect the building. “I had to protect the asset, basically, which is the building,” Skyberg said. Skyberg said the project will be completed in about two weeks. The roof over Spartan Complex room 89 is the last section to be completed. Roofing projects generally take longer because crews can only work on small sections at a time, Skyberg said. Crews must remove, waterproof and replace a section of roof in one day. Otherwise, rain can leak through the exposed section. Skyberg said the roofing project cost about $385,000, which came out of the Facilities Development and Opera-
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tions budget for this year. The added renovations were planned for the whole Spartan Complex building, but the project had to be put on hold because of budget cuts. In a recent news conference, President Jon Whitmore said the current budget allows for the completion of all current construction projects on campus, but future projects have to be put on hold until a new state budget is passed. Skyberg said the poor economy is benefiting the project. Contractors are bidding at more competitive rates. “Right now, we’ve been getting really good deals on contracted work, because contractors aren’t working, so they’re
See COMPLEX, page 2
Renovations to the roof of Spartan Complex are expected to be completed in two weeks.
NEWS BLOG
PHOTO BLOG
Blame P. Diddy for all music’s ills
See more photos from our feature on elective classes. Photos by Spartan Daily photographers
A 20-year-old kidnapping case comes to a bizarre close When sandwich spread kills
CHRISTIAN GARRUCHO / Spartan Daily
2 NEWS PAGE
E-BOOK Some e-books have time restrictions; books unable to be sold back to bookstore
WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY 11,, 2009
CAMPUSIMAGES
COMPLEX State budget may jeopardize future renovation plans for Spartan Complex Continued from page 1 really sharpening their pencils,” Skyberg said. “We’re getting our best bang for our buck right now during this down time.” The project is generally unobtrusive to classes, since workers do not have to enter the building, but noise from the project has been an issue in some of the dance classes held in Spartan Complex room 89. Chris Pacifico, teaching assistant for some of the salsa dance classes, said the noise from the project has been disrupting classes.
Continued from page 1 lifespan. For an example, some only offer 180 days of access in one semester, and students can save money and not have to worry about selling it back. “I would prefer e-books because it would be cheaper and I wouldn’t have to carry around heavy textbooks all the time,” said Lindsey Bahn, a freshman liberal studies major. “It’s just easier online.” Students can’t return an e-book and get their money back the way they could with a hard copy, Stroth said, but it works well for those who don’t want piles of books at the end of each semester. But there is a trade-off to the lower price. Stroth said the publisers who create e-books made agreements with other publishers to share private information such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses, allowing them to send advertisements. Students who skim through the privacy section when registering an e-book to their names should be aware of the box that allows publishers to share their information, Stroth said. “The price should be the last thing to consider,” he said. “Students should think about how their info is being used.” Anna Chivers, a senior child development major, said she didn’t know about the availability of e-books, and she would have considered buying e-books instead of the hard copies because it would have saved her money. “I’d definitely get the electronic one because I never use (the textbooks) or sell them back,” she said. “Plus, they’re heavy.” Some students learn better with reading texts on their laptops and can learn faster and easier with e-books because they are interactive, Stroth said. Omar Mutwakil, a junior civil engineering major, said he agrees that e-books make sense considering the majority of the student body has computer access. “It’s better to have e-books rather than textbooks,” he said. “I think it would be more convenient because a lot of the students nowadays are on their laptops.” A student said she enjoy the classic method of reading books. “I like hardcover books because it’s more at hand,” said Tracey Wong, a freshman psychology major. “If the Internet crashes and you have assignments due, the hardcover book is always there.” One advantage e-books have is that they are Accessible Technology Initiative compliant. According to the ATI Task Force Web site, “the ATI work plan calls for a multi-year approach to ensure that access to technology is achieved in web access, information technology procurement and access to instructional materials.” It enables all students, including the disabled, equal accessibility. “In 2012, all learning material for all students must be equally accessible,” Stroth said. “This includes brochures, advertising programs and even syllabi.” It may be a while until the entire bookstore will have Accessible Technology Initiative copies of books, Stroth said. Since there is a multitude of editions and some books are imported, publishers overseas may not know about transferring books to electronic versions.
“It’s hard for her (the teacher) to instruct, and hard for everyone to be able to hear what’s going on,” Pacifico said, “but at the same time I understand because of the fact that the building is old and it should be renovated.” “They have to do it because otherwise, they don’t have any time to do it. So we can’t do anything about it,” said Vy Bui, equipment technician in the Spartan Complex building. Fortunately, Skyberg said most of the project was completed over winter break, and the roof on Spartan Complex room 89 is nearing completion.
SPARTAGUIDE 11
Today
12 Tomorrow
Jonathan Ichikawa
Brass Concert
A lecture titled “Intuition and Begging the Question.” 4:30 p.m. in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Contact Bo Mou at 924-4513.
“Student Highlights.” 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. at the Music Building Concert Hall. Free admission. For information, call 924-4673.
Moonlight Movie Night This month’s movie is “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist.” 8:30 p.m. at Campus Village Quad.
13
Friday
Discovering Robeson
YOUNG SUNG KWON / Spartan Daily Matt Reed, a junior business major, juggles a soccer ball while playing with a group of friends at Tower Lawn during a break from class last Thursday evening. Reed was able to juggle the ball seven times as he tried to pay attention to every move he made.
Second peanut processing plant may have aided in spread of salmonella Associated Press
ATLANTA — Private lab tests show there may have been salmonella at a second plant operated by the peanut company at the center of a national outbreak, but the potentially tainted products were not sent to consumers, Texas health officials said Tuesday. The Peanut Corp. of America plant in Plainview, Texas, had operated unlicensed and uninspected for nearly four years, heightening food safety concerns already swirling around the company. Although no recalls related to the plant were announced Tuesday, federal inspectors have begun looking for any signs of problems similar to those found at a company plant in Georgia identified as the source of the salmonella outbreak. Peanut Corp. temporarily closed the Texas plant Monday night at the request of health officials after tests found “the possible presence of salmonella” in some of its products, the Texas Department of Health said. The Texas plant produces peanut meal, granulated peanuts and dry roasted peanuts. Texas state health officials said that possibly contaminated peanut meal and granulated peanuts had not been sent to customers. Potentially contaminated dry roasted peanuts were shipped to a distributor, but were caught
before reaching the public, state officials said. The company is being investigated in connection with an outbreak that has sickened 600 people and may have caused at least eight deaths. More than 1,840 possibly contaminated consumer products have been recalled in one in one of the largest product recalls ever. State inspectors pulled samples from the Texas plant Feb. 4, giving half to Peanut Corp. for independent testing and sending half to a state lab, which is common practice, said Doug McBride, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Peanut Corp. received a “presumptive positive” result from a private lab Monday, which strongly indicates salmonella is present but requires further testing to confirm, McBride said. The state’s lab results came back negative Tuesday, but McBride said it’s possible for one part of a given lot of product to test positive while another part of the same lot tests negative. Peanut Corp. closed its plant in Blakely, Ga., last month after federal investigators identified that facility as the source of the salmonella outbreak. Company spokeswoman Amy Rotenberg in an e-mail declined to comment beyond the company’s earlier statement Tuesday that said the plant would voluntarily close while state officials investigated.
The Texas closing came a day after the FBI, which is involved in a criminal investigation into the company, raided the company’s Georgia plant and its headquarters in Lynchburg, Va. During their investigation at the Georgia plant, Food and Drug Administration inspectors found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and other sanitation problems. They also found two strains of salmonella. Though different from the outbreak strain, the discovery of the bacteria at the plant signaled a hole in food safety. The FDA said last week the company knowingly shipped salmonella-laced products from the Georgia plant after tests showed the products were contaminated. Federal law forbids producing or shipping foods under conditions that could make it harmful to consumers’ health. FDA inspectors are back at the Texas plant following the private lab results Monday, said Mike Rogers, head of FDA’s field investigations. The federal inspectors are going back through the plant more thoroughly to determine whether there are problems similar to those discovered at the Georgia plant, he said. Rogers said no recalls related to the Texas products were yet planned because it doesn’t appear they made it to consumers.
A presentation about the life of activist Paul Robeson. With writer and performer Tayo Aluko. 7 p.m. in Morris Dailey Auditorium. Admission is $5. Contact Gil Villagran gvillagran@casa.sjsu.edu
16 Monday Pride of the Pacific Islands Hula and Tahitian practice. 8 p.m. in the Aerobics Room in the Event Center. Contact Kristen Tom at ppi_sjsu@yahoo.com
SLIS Colloquium Series Professor Ken Haycock discusses “Dual Use Libraries: Guidelines for Success.” 12:00 noon in Clark Hall, Room 304. Free admission. Contact Marcia Laughrey at 9242490. Sparta Guide is provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff members. The deadline for entries is noon, three working days before the desired publication date. Space restrictions may require editing of submission. Entries are printed in the order in which they are received. Submit entries online at thespartandaily.com or in writing at DBH 209.
FEATURES 3 PAGE
WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY 11,, 2009
CLASSES Student: being in class for three hours was relaxing Continued from page 1 then apply the makeup on herself and eventually on the actors who participated in upcoming SJSU plays. Wong described how her work would be left for her professor to critique. “If you blended too much she would tell you, or if you didn’t put enough makeup on, she would tell you,” Wong said. For students interested in exploring music, Music 120, Worlds of Jazz, is an option. Bruce Price, a senior civil engineering major, said he took this course as an elective with Francisco, a music lecturer. He said he discovered a new genre of music, and being in class for three hours was relaxing. “We had a lot of in-class concerts and if it weren’t for that class, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the beautiful music,” Price said. “The concerts did expand my musical taste,” he added. Diana Nguyen, a senior nursing major, is also one of the students who has taken the jazz class as an elective. Nguyen said she enjoyed the open discussions and class involvement. Price also suggested Technology 198, Technology and Civilization. He said if it weren’t for this course, he wouldn’t have taken
the time to learn about the history of technology. He said he also enjoyed taking it because the course gave him a break from his usual engineering homework, which he said involves dealing with numbers and equations. For students who want to release stress, Nguyen suggested Kinesiology 061A, Beginning Hatha Yoga. “It has taught me the importance of energy, balance and tranquility in the mind, body and soul,” Nguyen said. For students who want to explore their creative side, Lea Endo, a sophomore occupational therapy major, said she finds that taking an art class can alleviate stress. She is currently enrolled in Art 046, Introduction to Ceramics. Endo described how this course has a different setting than a course that is in a classroom and involves a textbook. “It’s nice because you get to talk to people and listen to music,” Endo said. “It’s just so much more relaxing and less stressful.” For students who have no particular interest in sharpening or developing creativity skills, a physical activity class such as Kinesiology 052B, Intermediate Judo, may be a choice. Hector Fajardo, a junior communication studies major, and Gapasin are both enrolled in the judo course.
Cassandra Carpenter (upper right) inspects the work of Kristie Metz, a junior theatre arts major, MIKE ANDERSON / Spartan Daily while Wycee de Vera, a senior computer science major (lower left), and Kimberly Pham, a junior business major, apply makeup during their Radio, Television, Film 064, Makeup for Stage and Video class on Tuesday. Gapasin said judo has taught him “hard work, determination, dedication, good social interaction to excellence.” Fajardo, who has been enrolled in judo courses since his freshman year, said, “I recom-
Aviva Mapgaonkar, a senior microbiology major, works on a project SANDRA SANTOS / Spartan Daily for her Introduction to Ceramics course on Thursday afternoon. The ceramic foot is one of several works students in Art 046 will produce during the semester.
mend many students to take the class because it’s fun.” But he said judo has also helped him stay in better shape. “I was kind of flabby,” Fajardo said. “I was out of shape the first semester.” A different elective that draws attention to many issues people face today is Psychology 191, Psychology of Prejudice, Nguyen said. She said she took the course with Neelam Rattan, a psychology lecturer, and she found it worthwhile. “She taught us that before we start judging people, put yourself in their shoes and see how it would feel,” Nguyen said. “And even a lot of people try to disregard the fact that it doesn’t exist anymore. It still does, everywhere you go.” Nguyen said this course has made her more open-minded about different cultures. Some of the assignments involved observing the media and seeing how women and other
Students relax during Junko Linafelter’s Kinesiology 061A, Beginning Hatha Yoga class on Monday in the Event Center Sport Club.
ethnic groups are portrayed. She also had to interview a person from a different culture and see what types of discrimi-
“We had a lot of in-class concerts and if it weren’t for that class, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the beautiful music.” BRUCE PRICE senior civil engineering major
nation he or she faced. A similar elective that also focuses on important issues in today’s society is Anthropology 146, Culture and Conflict. Lisa Cabalar, a senior nursing major, took this course as an upper general education requirement. She said she liked “getting new perspectives of other
cultures and the conflict that is going around at the moment.” Cabalar said one of her assignments was to research a conflict involving an indigenous group. Students interested in event planning can take a course in the hospitality, recreation and tourism management department. “One of the most fun projects was that we worked in a group and then our group was supposed to come up with an event,” said Nancy Thai, a senior business management major. “So, on the day it’s due, we transformed the whole classroom into what it would be like to hold the event.” Some other skills she said she picked up along the way were how to network and how to present herself. Thai said she soon decided to minor in hospitality management after she took Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism Management 140, Conference and Convention Management.
MIKE ANDERSON / Spartan Daily
4 SPORTS PAGE
WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY 11,, 2009
Women’s golf team swings back into action
JULIANNE SHAPIRO Staff Writer
The SJSU women’s golf team will start the semester with senior Erica Moston as the 46thranked female college golfer in the country, according to Golfweek Magazine. Moston was the 2007 conference player of the year and finished 13th at the NCAA Western Regional Tournament, resulting in an appearance at the NCAA Championships last year. “During the fall semester, she was phenomenal,” said head coach John Dormann. “In every round but one, she was even par or better.” The first tournament of the semester is the 54-hole Aztec Invitational, from Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, in Chula Vista. It is the first of four the team is scheduled to compete in before the start of the Western Athletic Conference Championships in April. “Every semester is always a little nerve-wracking,”
Dormann said. “You’re not quite sure what’s going to happen. You’re just kind of hoping everyone plays the way they’re capable of playing.” Moston said she is looking forward to starting the semester in Southern California. “It’s nice to get away,” she said. “We still have to study while we’re there, but it’s just fun.” Dormann also said his team may face some competitors at the Aztec Invitational that may be in the running for postseason play, such as the University of San Francisco. Sophomore Katrina DelenBriones said she is excited to be back in the lineup after recovering from muscle tightness in her lower back that caused her to withdraw and miss a tournament at the end of last semester. She said the injury is no longer bothering her. Delen-Briones said the goals for the team this season are to play better or equal to last semester while staying positive on the course.
“We want to finish top five in every tournament,” she said. The team finished no lower than fifth in every tournament last semester. Dormann said his goals for the team are: be consistent in every tournament; win the WAC Championship; and make it to postseason competition. He also said that freshman Madeleine Ziegert, from Sweden, is a blossoming player to watch. “She did a good job last semester, but right now she’s number one on the team in qualifying so far this semester,” he said. “If she starts delivering really good scores like she does in practice now, we could be a very good team.” Dormann said the team is working more on its short game performance to prepare for the season, and that he will continue with his positive coaching philosophy. “We work a lot on the short game, chipping and putting,” he said. “Those areas really focus hard on that, because those are the two areas of the
Senior Erica Moston follows through after a wedge shot on the CHAD ZIEMENDORF / Spartan Daily short course of the Villages Golf and Country Club in San Jose on Friday afternoon. golf game where you can really save shots.” Delen-Briones said the team added more depth
to the roster. “We have more people to actually rely on,” she said, “so at least now we have seven.”
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Moston also said that it was nice to have more players qualifying, since it makes the game more competitive.
OPINION 5 PAGE
WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY 11,, 2009
Spartan Daily
Life shouldn’t revolve around the iPhone
Dwight Bentel Hall, Room 209 One Washington Square San Jose, CA 95192-0149 News: 408-924-3281 Advertising: 408-924-3270 Fax: 408-924-3282 News e-mail: spartandaily@casa.sjsu.edu Advertising e-mail: spartandailyads@casa.sjsu.edu SENIOR EDITORIAL STAFF JOHN HORNBERG, Executive Editor TOMMY WRIGHT, Managing Editor CARLOS A. MORENO, Photo Editor JON XAVIER, Online Editor ANDREA FRAINIER, Opinion Editor RYAN BUCHAN, Sports Editor MATTHEW KIMEL, Sports Editor CHRIS CURRY, Arts & Entertainment Editor ALLIE FIGURES, Arts & Entertainment Editor JOEY AKELEY, Multimedia Editor KAAJAL MORAR, Features Editor KIMBERLY TSAO, Features Editor ELISHA MALDONADO, Investigations Editor MEGAN HAMILTON, Production Editor YA-AN CHAN, Copy Editor ANGELO LANHAM, Copy Editor SENIOR ADVERTISING STAFF VANESSA ALESSI, Advertising Director DARREN MITCHELL, Assistant Advertising Director KRISTI RIGGS, Creative Director EMILY JAMES, Assistant Creative Director STAFF WRITERS JESSICA AYALA, MARCOS BLANCO, HANK DREW, DOMINIQUE DUMADAUG, KELLY ENOS, JESSICA FROMM, BRETT GIFFORD, MERRIL GUZMAN, ANDREW HERNDON, ELIZABETH KANG, MICHAEL LE ROY, DAN LU, ANDREA MUNIZ, SAMANTHA PATTERSON, JUSTIN PERRY, MINH PHAM, HARVEY RANOLA, SCOTT REYBURN, SAMANTHA RIVERA, JULIANNE SHAPIRO, HOLLY SZKOROPAD, STEPHANIE VALLEJO, RALPH WARNER SENIOR STAFF WRITERS TARA DUFFY DANIELLE TORRALBA DAVID ZUGNONI ADVERTISING STAFF ASHLEY CHAVIRA, DIEP DINH, SAMANTHA INOUYE, KHALID JIVANI, RYAN KINGSLAND, LILIA LUNA, SHOKO MASUDA, RITA MIKHALTCHOUK, NAMPHUONG VAN ILLUSTRATOR CARTY SEWILL PHOTOGRAPHERS MIKE ANDERSON STEFAN ARMIJO SANDRA SANTOS YOUNG-SUNG KWON ADVISERS RICHARD CRAIG, News MACK LUNDSTROM, News JAN SHAW, News MICHAEL CHEERS, Photojournalism TIM HENDRICK, Advertising TIM BURKE, Production Chief TIM MITCHELL, Design JOHN SHRADER, Multimedia OPINION PAGE POLICY Letters to the editor may be placed in the letters to the editor box in the Spartan Daily office in Dwight Bentel Hall, Room 209, sent by fax to (408) 924-3282, e-mailed to spartandaily@casa.sjsu. edu or mailed to the Spartan Daily Opinion Editor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95112-0149. Letters to the editor must contain the author’s name, address, phone number, signature and major. Letters become property of the Spartan Daily and may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel and length. Only letters of 300 words or less will be considered for publication. Published opinions and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spartan Daily, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum.
STEPHANIE VALLEJO
Staff Writer It can help you lose weight, level a picture frame, balance your check book, report the news, teach you Spanish and read books. No, it’s not a personal trainer. Or a teacher. Or even a person, for that matter. It is the iPhone 3G, which offers more than 15,000 applications for life — so there is nothing else to buy but food, even though the iPhone can show you where to eat, too.
Alexander Graham Bell would probably blush if he saw what the iPhone applications can help a person do nowadays. About 130 years after his invention, the phone can do everything but kiss a person goodnight. That’s a far cry from just talking to someone across town. I remember when phones were primarily used to talk to people out of reach. I understand it’s the 21st century, but why do things have to lose their simplicity to attract people’s attention? The reason is, to be the coolest electronic device out there. But really, it’s overkill. On their healthcare and fitness application list, there is a free menstrual calendar, inspired by pmsbuddy.com. Women, and possibly their significant others, can keep track of what week the
mood swings will occur. Something wrong is happening to the world if people are relying on their phones to keep up with their menstrual cycles. The iPhone does almost everything, so having a brain is pointless. No need to schedule that optometry appointment, there’s an “EyeChart” application so one can test him or herself with convenience. Don’t forget to cut up that library card, because there’s nothing like curling up with the iPhone and reading an electronic version of “Twilight.” But nothing beats the “Annoyance!” application. It has sounds ranging from nails scratching a blackboard, a hyena laughing, a baby crying and sounds of a person slurping. An advertisement for this
Society is indifferent to racism
KIMBERLY TSAO
Itʼs Down to This Look into my eyes. They’re pretty small, aren’t they? I guess that’s as good a reason as any to make fun of someone. Photos of Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) donning the “slant-eye” pose have surfaced recently, and during the 2008 Olympics, Spain’s basketball team made the “Chinese eyes” for an ad campaign. When I first saw the Spaniards’ picture, I thought, “That’s weird.” As an afterthought, “That’s offensive,” popped in my head. Then, I brushed it aside and went on with my life as most people did. The fact that a lot of people failed to question the pictures is part of the problem. People seem desensitized to these kinds of things when they really shouldn’t be. It only gives others permission to make fun of them. Perhaps it won’t be today or tomorrow. Perhaps it won’t be about the size or shape of their eyes. What is certain is that people will jump at the chance to mock someone if they know no one is going to ruin their fun. I’ve seen people outgrow their teasing ways, but do we
really want to wait that long? Do we want to take that chance rather than doing something about it now? If Spain’s basketball team had been severely punished, do you think Miley Cyrus would have risked her multimillion-dollar status to make Chinese eyes in front of a camera? I don’t think so. Cyrus knows her piggy bank will survive without any help from Charlotte’s web. The people who supported Spain’s basketball team argued that it was a cultural thing. I mean, who knows why the Japanese flash the peace sign in pictures so often? Nonetheless, in a Los Angeles Times blog entry on the subject, a commenter named Katherine wrote, “Just because an action is not recognized by a culture as offensive, does not mean it’s OK. It just means you haven’t caught up with the rest of the world who sees it for what it is.” I realize that some things are unique to a culture and shouldn’t be infringed upon by outsiders. That does not apply here. Saying that something is part of a culture doesn’t immediately grant people immunity from their actions. You can’t say, “Eating tacos is part of my culture, so I’m going to disobey the doctor’s orders of eating only vegetables to prevent a heart attack.” The people who defended the basketball players even had the audacity to point out America’s shortcomings. For instance, on the same blog, Anthony wrote, “We all
know what the Spaniard did is not as bad as what happened in Iraq.” They’re comparing Spain’s racism with America’s war? The herring has just turned a bright, tomato red. Admittedly, the Iraq War has killed thousands in the span of about six years. On the other hand, racism has hurt, beat down and slaughtered unfathomable numbers since the beginning of time. Indeed, racism is the better man. I know it’s possible that I’m making a big deal out of nothing. As inconsiderate as it is, people who pose with Chinese eyes may just be doing it for fun — or they’re really drunk. However, Marcus, another commenter on the blog entry, wrote that the pictures were “intended to be friendly and salute a nation that is organizing a fantastic Olympic event.” Please. Who says, “We want to salute China because they’re fantastic event planners,” and then goes ahead and pulls up the corner of their eyes for a photo? Those pictures weren’t meant to commend China. Perhaps they weren’t meant to be insults, but they certainly weren’t compliments either. Don’t pretend otherwise, because Chinese eyes aside, you’ll just look like an idiot.
Kimberly Tsao is a Spartan Daily features editor. “It’s Down to This” appears every Wednesday.
Old Testament hypocrisy CHRIS CURRY
For Those About to Read It seems to me that there are a lot of pickers and choosers in the world. Poets and preachers shuffle through the pages of the Bible, picking and choosing what suits them best, like shoppers at a clearance rack. Did you find something that fits? Why not read a little deeper into Mr. Good Book? Look at some of the more inconvenient, early conventions — the ones that not even the most crazed religious zealots still follow. The ones that are forgotten because, like most religions, they no longer make any sense in a modern society. Have you made any burnt offerings to God lately?
Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, insists that every kind of sin has a recipe for forgiveness. An example: in chapter five, the sin of swearing an oath to do evil or good, yes, good, can be corrected by killing a female lamb, then sprinkling its blood around the altar. Naturally, that alone is not enough to bribe forgiveness of such a huge sin. The worthless rump fat and the kidneys must be burned as well. Hmmm, makes sense to me. What about all that delicious lamb meat? Well those hardworking priests at the temple are then commanded to enjoy a free lunch. They certainly do deserve a reward. After all, they had to take the time to make up all these rules. Oh wait, they were just following what God told them. The fact that nearly every forgiveness offering results in free meat, oil and grain is just a coincidence. And who does this Abraham Lincoln think he is? His flesh certainly blisters and chars in the lake of fire for taking away our God-given right to own slaves.
As long as they are heathens from surrounding countries, Leviticus chapter 25 conveys full right to own slaves. Israelites however, are not to be sold as slaves. That’s the word of God. The fact that Israelites wrote the rules that exempt them from servitude is another coincidence. The faithful have broken away from these passages because they are ancient anchors, hopelessly devoid of any connection to contemporary reality. These first steps were taken generations ago. Just as the sun once circled the Earth, the absurdity of religion is being exposed tenet by hollow tenet. But the joke is on us. The man behind the curtain has long since turned to scattered dust. I welcome anyone who would like to write and defend the merits and necessity of animal slaughter and slavery. A bit of a confession, though: I have not read the entire Bible. I have read the entire book of Leviticus, and it is this that I base my appraisal of the entire scripture’s current relevance.
application reads: “Want to bother your co-workers, play tricks on your friends or just plain annoy people? This app is for you.” Completely pointless, but oddly satisfying. What happened to doing it the old fashioned way? Annoying your friends or co-workers with a device that limits you to the sounds already programmed is pretty lame. Considering the fact that it’s a fairly easy task to annoy a person in general, this application is just another example of how the iPhone and its slew of applications are trying to revolve our lives around their inventions. It also takes away the whole reason why a phone was invented in the first place —communication. With so many knick knacks to play with on the phone, it
can limit interaction between people. Before there were games on cell phones, people who were waiting in line somewhere had the option of turning to his or her neighbor and starting a conversation. Now, there are so many different distractions in one little place that a person can avoid contact with other people. It’s a shame. Does introducing all these applications for the iPhone really go to help tech-savvy folk stop doing tasks with other tools? Perhaps. All this is giving me a headache. But no worries, there’s an application for that too. Stephanie Vallejo is a Spartan Daily staff writer.
What a drag it is getting old KAAJAL MORAR
Both Sides of the Coin Dove’s “Campaign For Real Beauty” is dedicated to changing the lives of 5 million young women around the world by the end of 2010. But what about older women? Only one of Dove’s many advertisements is dedicated to supporting older women on its Web site. Getting older, for as long as I can remember, has been undesirable. My mother, who is in her late 40s, dyes her hair to hide a few gray hairs. Having already sprouted some myself, she suggested that I do the same. According to the Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Guide Web site, there was a 444 percent increase in total cosmetic procedures since 1997, with an increase in surgical procedures by 119 percent and nonsurgical procedures by 726 percent. Why do we fear age so much? It’s because of ads for Revlon’s “Age Defying Makeup” line, L’Oreal’s “Age Perfect” line for “mature skin” and Maybelline’s “Instant Age Rewind” line. They sicken me, especially when women younger than the target audience are modeled in said ads. I see no reason women should hide their age behind walletdraining makeup products. “Growing older is about celebrating what you’ve got, not dwelling on what you’ve left behind,” said Jessica Weiner in her article “Here’s to Turning 8!” on Dove’s Web site. Ageism occurs all the time, although it’s much more subtle than racism. Ageism, the discrimination of people in a certain age group. My friend’s mother out-swam a high school student who was part of his school’s swimming team. Who would have thought a middle-aged woman was capable of that? I was born in America, but my parents still harbor Hindu values. Because I grew up within these two cultures, I’ve noticed differI also realize that using one chapter in the Bible to condemn all religion is quite a jump, but Leviticus is a choice example from an age of rampant ignorance. It is to this age that the pillars of a vast majority of the world’s religions date. See religion for what it truly is: An evocation of how to live your
ences in how ageism occurs in American and Indian society. In American culture, older people aren’t usually “cool” or “hip.” They are out of touch with society, wear ugly sweaters and drive with a distinct passion to endanger everyone on the road. They are usually grumpy and hate loud music. During a visit to India in 2000, I learned that the elderly lived in the same home as their children (usually their eldest son) and offer their knowledge and experience. The family does not usually feel encumbered by their presence. I was a little unnerved when I saw this. My father’s parents have never lived in our home and my mother’s parents live in their own home. I don’t think I had ever viewed grandparents as being anything more than a burden. This view has changed in Indian society over the years, I’ve noticed, and grandparents are also becoming more of a burden than a blessing. A Bollywood movie called “Baghban” details the story of a fictional elderly couple who were split apart and shunted among their four childrens’ homes where they were unwelcome and disrespected for six months. I was disgusted. I can’t imagine why anyone would consider treating their parents in such a remorseless manner. According to the eScholarship Repository Web site, “…selfesteem is relatively high in childhood, drops during adolescence (particularly for girls), rises-gradually throughout adulthood, and then declines sharply in old age.” Perhaps self esteem declines in old age because of declining health and increased frequency of dependence on others. Dependence shouldn’t be as negative as we make it, though. What is wrong with being able to work together? It is certainly not as lonely as privacy. Whatever it may be, it surely cannot be as bad as television and movies portray. After all, people are usually afraid of what they have not yet experienced. Today, I make my way to old age. Today, I turn 22 years old. Actually, 22 isn’t that old. Today, I turn 22 years young. Kaajal Morar is a Spartan Daily features editor. “Both Sides of the Coin” appears every other Wednesday
life as written by those who want to control it. Your body is living in the 21st century, shouldn’t your mind, as well? Chris Curry is a Spartan Daily arts & entertainment editor. “For Those About to Read” appears every Wednesday.
6 A&E PAGE
WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY 11,, 2009
MOVIE REVIEW: “CORALINE”
Behold Coraline’s world of wonders
Courtesy of The Movie Reporter
After discovering a strange doorway in her new house, Coraline crawls through to another dimension. HARVEY RAÑOLA Staff Writer
Halloween may be eight months away, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for the creepily cute, stop-motion fun of Henry Selick’s “Coraline.” The animated film is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, and is the latest offering from director Henry Selick, (“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach”) whose curriculum vitae features several stop-motion animated films.
Selick’s new movie follows the story of a young girl named Coraline, voiced by Dakota Fanning, who is routinely ignored by her parents shortly after moving to a new town. While snooping around her new house and looking for ways to have fun, she stumbles upon a door that leads to an alternate reality where everything is just the way she wants it. After a few more trips into the fantastic world on the other side of the door, Coraline soon discovers that not everything is what it seems, and as the story progresses, this is something that viewers begin to realize as well.
“I think the movie was for older people,” sophomore advertising major Justin Acosta said. “It was cool.” “It was not for younger kids,” said Danté Willis, a junior computer science major. Coraline’s thematic elements are familiar enough. The film’s protagonist tries to escape her dull reality and is lured by creatures from another dimension into their world. Throughout the course of the story, her parents and friends refuse to believe that any of it is true. Eventually, the two worlds cross over, and mayhem ensues, with the girl
Local popsicle aficionados Von Iva from left to right: Jillian Iva, Becky Kupersmith and Kelly Harris.
Courtesy of 12 Galaxies
DISC OF THE WEEK: “GIRLS ON FILM”
Ladies of Von Iva deliver electronic fury MERRIL GUZMAN Staff Writer
San Francisco band Von Iva’s provocative and aggressive approach to its songs produces a different kind of girl-power music. In an age where all-female bands conjure images of the Dixie Chicks, Pussycat Dolls and Spice Girls, Von Iva empower listeners with its demanding lyrics and punk attitude. The band’s newest EP, “Girls on Film,” features six songs that are a combination of electronica, techno and dance music. At times, electric and artificial synthesizers provide an overload of sounds. Von Iva’s album brings the definition of girl power to a new high. If you’re looking for songs to dance to, but only in the most unsavory of ways, be sure to catch them when they’re in town. People might find it hard to dance to punk music, but the band’s songs pull it off with electric beats and catchy lyrics. It’s a perfect CD to listen to
if you’re feeling a little angst but are still ready to dance. It has an energy that is unparalleled by many other female groups. In their concerts, Von Iva push the limits with lead vocalist, Jillian Iva, crowd surfing, rolling on the ground, climbing onto drum sets and pleasing the crowd with her provocative dancing. Shock appeal at its best. The trio got its start in San Francisco and is composed of Iva, Kelly “Lay Lay” Harris on drums and Becky “Bex” Kupersmith on keyboards. In their song “Guise,” Iva sings, “show me what you got / well you said you want it / you want it / you gotta step to it / baby this ain’t no one-way street you gotta come to me.” Talk about demanding. Female independence is blaring throughout the EP. “You don’t own me / can’t control me / sick of crying / you’re always lying to me / done with trying / so I’m going to leave,” Iva sings in the chorus of the song “Birds of Prey.” Von Iva even manages to take
a jab at female pop icons like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan in its song “LALA.” In an interview with music Web site Rhapsody at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Harris and Iva said the song is about the media coverage and breakdowns of pop stars that happen in Los Angeles. “Thanks to L.A. her time here is gone / now she’s gone,” the lyrics screech on top of an electric beat that pounds away in the background. Despite the band’s objection to the high-profile music lifestyle, last December Von Iva appeared in the Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel movie “Yes Man.” In the movie, the band played as a fictional group called Munchausen by Proxy. Von Iva are currently on the road with Semi-Precious Weapons and Nico Vega on their “Hell on Heels Tour.” The tour, which started on Jan. 13, is currently in Indiana. The trio will be in the Bay Area on March 12 at the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco and they will be at the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose on March 13.
playing heroine in order to save her family. It sounds a lot like director Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” but “Coraline” has its own style that sets it apart from del Toro’s Academy Award winning masterpiece. Among these stylistic elements are the ever-changing settings of the movie that do a wonderful job of creating a world that transitions between two realities. Bright, warm colors make way for distorted neon figures set against dark backgrounds reminiscent of the ‘80s horrorcomedy “Beetlejuice.” “It was trippy,” sophomore
Courtney Jolander said. “It was like he was on drugs, the guy who made it.” Sprinkled throughout the movie are references to wellknown works of art that come to life in the form of beautifully crafted backdrops. In a dream sequence, Coraline speaks to a trio of ghosts while floating along the sky of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” where stars flicker and clouds swirl in ways that can only be imagined while looking at the actual painting. Another scene invokes Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” in a play performed by
the alternate versions of Coraline’s neighbors. The has-been actresses, who through the posters in the house are implied to have been featured in adult movies, duke it out onstage while one of them stands almost naked on a clam shell covered only by her flowing red hair. Slapstick humor coupled with an art masterpiece never looked so good together. It’s the quirkiness of scenes like these, coupled with a strong, yet simple, story that gives “Coraline” a bit more intellectual substance than many other animated films in recent memory.